This is a solid guide to choosing professions, builds, gear and understanding some basic concepts. As a veteran runner who has written many guides in the past, I'm going to critique the hell out of this. It's not an "all-inclusive" guide to running since you've catered it to beginners, so that limits a lot of the intimate details you should get into.
BAD: You don't explain what running is or how to do it.
Instead of providing an introduction to the profession, you immediately start providing builds. Builds are extremely important as they allows you to be as efficient as possible in the zone you're running, but beginners need to be informed as to what running actually is and how they can do it.
A good rule of thumb to live by when teaching beginners is to "never assume they know anything about this or that they have done it before".
I have raised many runners in my time. Regardless of what they know, start them from the ground up. It's the best way to break old habits and form good ones.
BAD: You use abbreviations and terminology that not all players understand.
Since this is meant to be a guide for beginners, you should avoid any and all abbreviations so your point gets across as clearly as possible. The terms "DS", "IAU", and "SF" don't mean much to beginners unless you first define them.
Additionally, you use terms such as "deaggro" and "strips". As mentioned previously, it's best to take the time and fully explain these terms prior to presenting them to the beginner audience.
GOOD AND BAD?: You explain topics too advanced for beginners, but in a way that helps them achieve a runners' mindset.
A perfect example of this is the "Ice Imp Gimp" section. By explaining this advanced trick in such detail from the get-go, you're getting beginners into the mind of an expert runner. You teach them to observe what each and every skill does and how to exploit them if at all possible. Very, very well done!
On the flip-side, it probably wasn't a good idea to mention Gate Clipping in such excruciating detail. Yes, it's a valid technique for runners to exploit in some advanced runs, but it's hardly worth more than a mention in a beginner's guide.
GOOD: You provide practical examples, encourage the student to try them out, and then explain the proper way to handle them.
I was smiling the entire time I read through the "Skill Timing" section. You fucking nailed it, man. That's not a topic that's easy to put into words since it's so situational. Proper skill timing is something you obtain through experience and repetition.
GOOD: Props for the credit given to the Desolation Running discovery (hehe)
As the author mentioned, I originally discovered how to run across the sulfur in the Desolation without a Junundu wurm or resurrection skills. Now there's no proof to back that up, but I can explain the entire story to anyone who wants it.
As part of my teaching method for the Desolation, I created a Texmod package that highlights the danger spots in pure red, leaving the safe spots unmodified.
Thank you for mentioning this! It's a huge part of running through Elona. You went into some advanced details, but not so much so as to turn away a beginner audience.
BAD: You explain some, but not all, of the obstacles runners can encounter in their travels.
You mention things such as Muddy Terrain and snares, but you don't actually explain what they are.
Take a look at your Routes section. Seeing that Entangling Roots in Majesty's Rest cause Muddy Terrain is meaningless to me as a beginner unless I have a solid explanation of what Muddy Terrain actually does to my character, how to remove it, and how to avoid it.
GOOD AND BAD: You provide practice scenarios, but not ones that are exactly appropriate for a beginner.
Practice makes perfect and you certainly understand that. What you don't seem to understand is that beginners are beginners. Yes, it's good to practice running through Lornar's Pass once you have a good foundation and have practiced a lot. This audience hasn't practiced a lot.
The practice scenarios should be easy zones such as the ones in the Ruins of Ascalon. Just zones to get a feel for the skills without too much pressure from foes. Your practice scenarios are intermediate/expert level.
Overall, a decent guide. I'd be glad to sit with you and refine it.
- God of Fissures
